TRANSCRIBED FROM THE HOT SPRINGS NEW ERA JANUARY 30, 1919 P. 6
I met a fellow, in fact several from Warren’s company, and these are the facts they told concerning his death. His company went over the top about daybreak of September 12. About 10 or 11 they were held up by intense machine gun fire. They were unable to locate it. Warren asked a sniper to try to flank them; he also asked another and he refused; a third replied he would go. The fire from the machine gun would come over their heads in spurts. It had moved over and Warren had moved up to try to locate it, but as he did so it swung back and caught him. He was wounded six times; once in the chest and five times in the arms and legs. He told his men to go on and others carried him back. He was bleeding profusely and was placed in an ambulance. This is as much as I know. His company is ahead of us and we have not caught up with it yet.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Myron Townsend about the death of Captain Richard Warren Townsend of Co. H, 357th Infantry. The captain was Myron’s brother. He was writing to their parents who received official information that Richard had died on September 13 and was buried in the American Cemetery in Toul. His remains now rest in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial at Thiaucourt-Regnieville Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorrainne, France. He was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on March 11, 1893. When he registered for the draft in 1917 he was living in Dallas, Texas and was working as the manager of Neiman Marcus.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
I met a fellow, in fact several from Warren’s company, and these are the facts they told concerning his death. His company went over the top about daybreak of September 12. About 10 or 11 they were held up by intense machine gun fire. They were unable to locate it. Warren asked a sniper to try to flank them; he also asked another and he refused; a third replied he would go. The fire from the machine gun would come over their heads in spurts. It had moved over and Warren had moved up to try to locate it, but as he did so it swung back and caught him. He was wounded six times; once in the chest and five times in the arms and legs. He told his men to go on and others carried him back. He was bleeding profusely and was placed in an ambulance. This is as much as I know. His company is ahead of us and we have not caught up with it yet.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Myron Townsend about the death of Captain Richard Warren Townsend of Co. H, 357th Infantry. The captain was Myron’s brother. He was writing to their parents who received official information that Richard had died on September 13 and was buried in the American Cemetery in Toul. His remains now rest in the Saint Mihiel American Cemetery and Memorial at Thiaucourt-Regnieville Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorrainne, France. He was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on March 11, 1893. When he registered for the draft in 1917 he was living in Dallas, Texas and was working as the manager of Neiman Marcus.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON